Ambitious Provider of Online Courses Loses Fans Among Colleges

To students, starting college for $99 a month sounds like a
deal. To wonks wrapped up in soaring tuition and declining
financial aid, it may sound like a solution.

That's how a company called StraighterLine, which offers online,
self-paced introductory courses, became a darling of the
industry—at least in theory. Carol A. Twigg, president of the
National Center for Academic Transformation and a member of
StraighterLine's advisory board, has lauded the idea; Kevin Carey,
policy